Billy and the Beast: Ever After Book 3, Eli Easton

The only reason this isn't a full 5 stars is honestly because of the steam factor.  There was an incredible amount of sweetness, love, grumptastic caring, innocent joy, and the way they truly saw one another...all of that was fantastic and came together so beautifully that it needed Eli Easton's brand of sensual, soul-touching steam to balance it out and make it perfect.  Think Redemption of River and Mating of Michael level of awesome, but without a ton of sexy times.

Aaron was so incredibly gruff and yet so charming with his "I'll show you, show you how much I want you gone...by buying you expensive work shirts and bringing you meals and spending time with you.  *Hmph.  Let that be a lesson to you."  I loved him.  His vulnerability felt real too, not just because of the physical disfigurement, but the weight he was carrying regarding what he couldn't remember and the grief over the loss of his father.  His character was simple and yet still moving.

Finding his counterpart in the irrepressible Billy was sweet and fun because Billy couldn't find a way to stay mired in negativity despite his circumstances.  It wasn't until the villain stuck their nose into things that he found a pain and hurt he hadn't yet truly experienced.  Thankfully his indomitable will got the kick in the pants it needed by a little tea-and-chat session with their resident "witch".  His discoveries meant a whole lot of freedom and I enjoyed seeing that bit come together.

The villain was very predictable, both in who they were, their motivations, and their methods.  But even with all that predictability, it wasn't annoying.  It was slightly over dramatic, but it fit with the tradition of big, dramatic confrontations marked in all fairy tales.  Everything worked out, obviously, and the bad guy actually saw justice, amends were made, and Aaron finally found healing, confidence, and freedom.  Thanks to Billy's heart and spirit they were both able to get the exact "ending" they deserved.  I loved this story, it's my favorite of the series so far, and I can't wait to see what's next for this little town with its own brand of magic. 

*$3.99 on Amazon

One stolen rose leads Billy to the Beast of his dreams...

The rose is so perfectly pink and delightfully fragrant, so temptingly within reach through the bars of the locked gate. One snip later, and a masked man from Billy’s darkest fantasies grabs his arm.

Billy’s punishment for the theft? To toil in the estate’s horribly overgrown garden for the summer. Only this summer job comes with a mystery. Who is the sexy, scarred, irascible man who lives at Malfleur, and what dark secret from his past is he hiding?

The Beast believes he deserves his self-imposed exile for the crime he committed one awful, reckless night—a night he can’t even remember. He believes no one can love the ruin of a man that survived that cursed accident.

He didn’t count on Billy Martin.

Holding Hans: Ever After Book 2, Tara Lain

Right away my heart went out to Hans.  He's young, figuring things out for himself with the help of a cute new guy in town, and so very responsible before his time.  Dealing with a confused father, a massive debt, a twin who loves him but still manages to be a bit self-centered, and a passionate love of music and overwhelming talent but not being able to do anything great with it...there was just so much on his narrow shoulders that I couldn't not want more for him.

The plot twisting around a mysterious manor and some awkwardly shady dealings surrounding guests and lodgers was a much darker take on the story, but I actually felt it was incredibly modern in its subject matter.  It was handled delicately, which was appreciated, except it felt a little unfinished.  Rune's original job took over at one point and muddied the whole thing going on with Hans and it pulled too much attention away from what should have been the plot's focus.  There were threads left untied, justice unserved, and questions unanswered by the end that took some of the attention and joy from the happier ending we got in the epilogue.

And speaking of the epilogue, it was totally sweet and very fitting, but it was a bit abrupt because we didn't really get a whole lot of settling into the happy between Rune and Hans.  So while I liked Rune, there just wasn't a lot about him, not very much true telling of his own background to satisfy my hopes for him coming out from being undercover.  The intimacy between them was alright, though truncated due to Hans' innocence and Rune's job objectives, and was kind of dimmed under the weight of everything that was going on.  Because of that I didn't mind the fade-to-black bit near the end because without a lot of development between them with transparency a super steamy scene would have made me slightly uncomfortable to read.

A couple of other peeves of mine in the story were Greta and Red.  Greta's self-serving attitude put them all in danger, though without her the plot would have gotten nowhere, so I can't be too upset.  I just felt like their bond through the whole story was one-sided until the end where she only came to the rescue only because she overheard something that gave validity to all the warnings Hans had been trying to tell her about.

Red was supposedly Hans' best friend, but where was he?  Knowing about Hans' difficult life situation, even if only the basics, should have meant that he would be genuinely concerned enough about him to check in every now and again, to at least inquire if he could help, or even just be there for advice about Rune.  There were quite a few moments that I felt like there was so little support.  That could have been the point, but it didn't match the characters.  Even with the attitude of not airing dirty laundry for the town Hans didn't seem the type to have a best friend he virtually never spoke to until Red shows up in the epilogue to support Hans' public performance.

Despite a few frustrations, the story overall was incredibly updated and I truly enjoyed the reading.  My favorite side character was Corey Orey and I wish so much that he had gotten a bit more page time, that he and Hans had a little more opportunity to develop a friendship and some collaboration to nurture Hans' curiosity and passion for his music.  For now, I'm not ready to leave Ever After so I'm going to read Eli Easton's contribution with Billy & the Beast.

*$4.99 on Amazon

How much evil can you cook up in one small town?

When your father gets wonky, marries a weird woman, and runs off to Europe, leaving you and your twin holding the bag for the bills, what else can you do but –
Sleep a night in the forest,
Follow a trail of pebbles to a strange mansion,
And succumb to the attraction of cinnamon rolls, the world’s most beautiful piano, and Madame, the strange woman who gives you your dreams for next to nothing.
But fairy tales teach one lesson –
--when things are too good to be true – run!
Hans Meyer finds that out the hard way, when he wakes up tied to a bed in the dark. Even Rune, the cute guy who buys him root beer floats, isn’t who he seems.

Can piano power, twin power, and a healthy dose of love power overcome the darkness and finally make Hans happy in Ever After?

The Hitman's Guide to Tying the Knot While Not Getting Shot: The Hitman's Guide Book 3, Alice Winters

It wouldn't be a Leland classic if there weren't over-the-top declarations and pew pew shenanigans and Hitman 3 does not disappoint.  I have to say it's Sarge and the dobermans that take the cake as my favorite bits in this book though.  While I continue to love Leland and adore Jackson, the puppers steal the show this time around.

There's a bit of maturity that happens here that was only hinted at before now and I'm incredibly glad to see it; Leland is finally settling into his skin and his place with Jackson's family.  Until it's threatened.  Surprisingly, and also a bit predictably, the danger comes from Jackson's past and not Leland's so there are a whole bunch of things we can't predict or assume that's going to come at them.  Making the focus shift onto Jackson and their need to protect one another while also learning to truly involve one another in the solution it brought that maturity I mentioned and it allows both men to both flounder and bloom.

Getting these men to the altar was a bit of a trial with all the crazy bombarding them as well as Ava, the resident monster-in-law.  I can't say I ever truly warmed up to her, but she did soften enough that I didn't mind her as much by the end.  There were quite a few bits in this story that I actually found myself skimming, unfortunately, and that was nearly every Ava scene as well as the Mila ones.  I love that she attached herself to Leland, but I felt a bit off that she did so while acting the way she did toward Jackson  It's probably because Jackson is my favorite character out of everyone though.  Also...she read way older than 7 so I had a hard time wrapping my head around her at all.

Ultimately it was bringing in Jackson's military past that was definitely the right approach for the third and "final" book.  Their story won't ever truly be finished, what with all the short stories and supporting/infiltrating roles they'll take when Cassel and Jeremy get their chance at the spotlight, but for now their "end" is full of all kinds of growth, hope, and silliness.  I'm not ready to leave their lives, but for now I'm left in a good place and can't wait for more in whatever form I can get them.

$4.99 on Amazon

Leland
Is a nice little wedding with Blow-up Randy and Jackson My Love too much to ask for? Clearly, because someone’s trying to kill one of us… again. Generally, this would be my thing and I would jump right in singing my murder song, but they want Jackson dead and I will do anything (and I mean anything) to keep him alive—including and not limited to: ten Dobermans, bulletproof glass, and dragging Cassel in with the promise of more Jerebear. These people have no idea what they’ve done targeting the man I love because I’m coming after them. But when it feels like everything might be lost, I start to understand that I have a family now who will stand by my side and do everything they can to make sure we end this on our terms.

Jackson
When someone attacks me, it’s clear they want something from me. The issue is that I have no idea who they are or what they’re after. And if I don’t figure it out soon, I’m afraid Leland is going to smother me with his overprotectiveness (or put me in a bubble at the top of a tower). The issue is that time is ticking and with the price tag on my head, there’s no telling who is coming for me or when. Together, Leland and I have to decipher who is telling the truth in this game of life or death because I have plans to marry the man of my dreams and no one is going to stop me—especially with Leland by my side.